Supplemental inflatable restraints or air bag assemblies are becoming increasingly common as a safety device in vehicles throughout the world. The assembly comprises an inflatable canister located in the steering column, the passenger-side dashboard, or the side door panel. Upon a sufficiently great deceleration, the canister is inflated by an explosive device known as a squib which contains a gun powder-based material. The squib is fired electronically upon an electrical signal sent via wires from a deceleration or other sensor in the vehicle. The wires are attached to the squib via a squib connector which plugs into a receptacle or inflator socket in the squib assembly.
A common form of squib has two pins which extend within the socket, and an associated connector has two terminals which are in electrical contact with the pins when the connector is plugged into the socket. When the connector is removed from the socket, typically for servicing, a shorting clip or shunt is biassed into electrical contact with the two pins to form an electrical connection therebetween to reduce the risk of misfiring, for example, by static electricity. The connector urges the shorting clip out of electrical contact with the pins when the connector is plugged into the socket.
In a common prior art squib connector socket assembly, the socket is machined from aluminum and has a machined opening therein to receive the squib assembly and connector. However, machining is prone to depositing metal burrs and shavings in the socket, which can increase the risk of accidental firing. Additionally, it can be difficult to meet the required dimensional tolerances with machining. This socket assembly is also relatively expensive to manufacture. Further prior art squib connector and shorting clip assemblies are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,275,575, 5,401,180, and 5,435,754.